Kilis

Kilis, situated near the Turkish-Syrian border in the South-eastern
Anatolian Region en route to Gaziantep
is an especially charming area, dotted with vineyards and olive groves
on all sides. It was originally known as Kilis (mentioned in the Assyrian
archives) and was a very important town in Asia
Minor in ancient days for frontier commerce. It is still famous today
for its cotton, silk weaving and leather products.

Though not definitive, the history of Kilis is believed to date back
to 3000 BC. The city lived out the times of the Assyrians,
Hurri-Mitani,
Hittites, Persians, Romans, Byzantine
and the Ottomans. In 636 AD the area was occupied
by Caliph Omer and used as an outpost against
the Byzantine Empire. Kilis was attached to the
County of Urfa during the Crusades
and subsequently lived under the
Seljuks and Mamelukes.
It was finally annexed by the Ottoman Empire
during the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim. Early
in this century, following the First World War, Kilis was regained from
the occupying forces upon Ankara Treaty acted
on 7 December 1921 during the War of Liberation.
Kilis was given the status of province on 6 June 1996 with its administrative
districts of Elbeyli, Musabeyli and Polateli. The province has 138 villages
(51 of them attached to the central district, 46 to Musabeyli, 23 to Elbeyli
and 18 to Polateli), a sub-district (Yavuzlu) and 69 sub-villages.

The city has a distance of 10 kilometers to the Syrian border and the
length of its border with this country reaches 120 kilometers. Resul Osman
and Kotal are the mountains of the province while Afrin and Sabun Suyu
brooks constitute its main water resources.

Canpolat Mosque, built in 1553, is one of the
first specimens of Ottoman structures. It was
built in the time of Canpolat Bey, a local ruler. It is an Ottoman
style mosque having square plan and single doom.

Akcurun Mosque was built by Seyyide Fatma in
1334 and it has Mameluke features.

Ulu (Grand) Mosque was built by Abdullah Bin
Haci Halil in 1334. The mosque is made of cut
stone and has a rectangular plan.

There is no definite information about the time that Ravanda Fortress
was constructed, but some say that it was built by the Crusaders.
Its walls and watchtowers have survived. There are water storage, remains
of houses, galleries and dungeons in the fortress. Being a stronghold during
the time of the Egyptian Mamelukes, Ravanda Fortress later became a centre
governed by the Crusaders' County of Urfa.
It particularly flourished in the 12th century. The fortress is believed
to have an underground city as well. However, satisfactory information
could not be obtained so far since no archaeological
excavation took place.

The old city of Kuzeyne (Kuzuini) and the fortress are located at
a distance of 5 kilometers from the city. Remains found date back to the
times of the Hittites, Romans, Byzantine
and the Abbasid. It is an open air museum as a whole with its castle and
mosaics.